Thursday, March 30, 2006

Hardcore

I am currently reading a book that I thought  should share with all of you. The book is called The Devil in the White City, written by Erik Larson. It is about the world fair in Chicago. The world fair was essentially America’s way of topping France’s Exposition Universelle, the world fair that debuted Alexandre Gustave Eiffel’s architectural achievement, the Eiffel Tower. The tower was erected in 1889, which most people are not aware of, but the tower is barely more than 100 years old. But the book does not center or the fair so much as it centers on two main characters. One is Daniel Burnham, the head architect of Chicago’s world fair, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who used the fair as his hunting ground.

The book is really quite extraordinary, as the chapters flip from one character to the other. We see the struggle of building the fair and the plotting of Holmes’ crimes side by side, as if both men were creating their masterpieces of their respective arts in a race against one another. The book is not fiction, but tells like a story. Everything in the book is taken from archived documents and newspaper articles and interviews. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys reading.

-B
You told me you can’t wait to see me and then you didn’t bother to even show up

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Update

Just wanted to throw this out there, I will probably not be posting about music on here anymore. It has been my goal to do a blog on music and politics, and recently that has been a possibility. Now, it seems a little too complicated. So, I am going to post the links to my music blog on myspace, and from now on that is where most of my music posts will go, and this one will stay as a political/social blog. Here are m links:

My profile: http://www.myspace.com/beat_criminal
My blog: http://blog.myspace.com/beat_criminal

Feel free to add me if you wish and read my blog.
-B

Roll Out

I have been pre-approved for a Visa Platinum card. I know, I haven’t really been approved, that would require my credit report which would require my signature, which I did not give. But it does bring up an interesting point; if I didn’t apply for the card, that probably means that I do not fucking want it. But they send me shit anyway. This now brings me my next point, mass consumerism. I am fascinated by this trend, this way of life, so to speak. We live to be in debt. We must always have the coolest car we can afford, and when we can’t afford it, we buy it anyway.

The reason for this is the same reason as to why soccer moms switched from mini vans to SUV’s. It is a status symbol, just like having a wallet full of credit cards. It shows that we, or at least our significant other, make a descent amount of money. We constantly feel the need to show off our position on the social ladder, and I cannot fathom why. I would rather people don’t know how much money I make. But alas, we are all confined to live in this cesspool of one-upmanship.

Having said that I must now confess that I own a 2004 Ford Mustang. Not exactly the cheapest car around. I feel the urge to suddenly break the theme here and point out that Microsoft Word is telling me that the first sentence in this paragraph is a fragment sentence. I have re-written this sentence about 6 times now, and that damn green line of stupidity is still there, as if to point out to me that my public education is hard at work yet still lacking the bare necessity of syntax required to speak my own god damn native language. That talking paperclip is now laughing at me; he haunts my dreams at night, always threatening to scribble my life with a big green or red line, as if the language of my life itself is somehow inadequate. I hate that paperclip.

I give up on the sentence now, back to my point. I own my car for the same reason that soccer moms own their Escalades, because I can afford it. Which brings me to my final question? Am I placing myself on the social ladder, trying to show off my monetary status? Or, if I’m lucky, could it be that just the notion of knowing where I stand in society means that I can live outside of the social ladder, on my own rung if you will, all the while laughing at those who choose to climb he same ladder as the soccer moms? While you ponder that thought, I’m going to go check the ads for used Escalades.

-B
Ticking away the moments that make up the dull days

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Dream Weaver

Music of Choice:
Counting Crows – Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby

I have often wondered why we dream. Why do our brains conjure up images of vaguely familiar objects, sounds, landscapes, and people that we may or may not have even met before? What do they mean, if anything? Are they trying to tell us something, something we should know or be learning, or be aware of? Or are they simply random images made up of recent experiences with sight, sound, and memory?

I have this reoccurring dream that scares the shit out of me. I have had it for just about every night in these last 4 weeks. Its so scary that I wake up freaked out, covered in sweat, and shaking so badly I reach for my iron pills on instinct that I may be low on iron, until I realize I am shivering form the dream, not iron deficiency. The worst part is I don’t recognize any of it. I have dreams that have, in some way or another, come true. That feeling of me being somewhere at sometime, and thinking something was going to happen, then it does within a few minutes. That’s some scary shit.

I haven’t slept more than 2-3 hours a night for weeks. I have never been much of a sleeper, but this is worse than ever. I get up at 4 a.m. and don’t even try to sleep until 10 and then I toss and turn, then wake up from my dream (nightmare?) and go back to sleep for an hour, then get up for work. I don’t believe in dreams to be honest. I don’t believe in those dream books that claim to dissect dreams and unlock the mysteries of your mind or some other wackiness, its just bullshit. I just can’t figure out why I keep having the some dream and, more importantly, when I get to finally sleep again.

-B
If dreams are like movies than memories are films about ghosts

Monday, March 06, 2006

Love And Memories

Music of Choice:
Green Day – Whatsername

I have often wondered what my reaction would be if I were to suddenly run in to an old flame. Ok, one old flame in particular, the others I am either friends with or do not give a shit about. I have thought the event over in my head many times. I could tell you the conversations I have imagined us having, the smiles and congratulations on our state of livelihood at that particular time. I have rehearsed this scene a thousand times in my head, as if I am practicing, studying lines in a play that I already know the end to. The problem is it will never happen.

I have come to realize that all those movies about lovers reconnecting and dishing out those smiles and congratulations, the nostalgia, the forgiveness, the thrill of seeing them and how they turned out, are total bullshit. It does not happen, and here is why; we are not meant for it to happen. We get one chance, only one, and if we fuck it up, there is no going back, years down the road and apologizing, nor receiving forgiveness. One always moves on, and one always stays behind. This life is short, too damn short, and we only get one fucking chance? Who the fuck made that rule?

We not only are not given the chance to fix past mistakes, but we get to constantly be reminded of them. We won’t remember what the argument was about, but we remember the song playing on the radio when we drove away. We won’t remember how it ended, but we can’t forget how it began. And the worst part of it all? I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. I’m glad I remember our first date, and not our last argument. I’m glad I remember “our song” and not the reason why we broke up. At least we get the comfort of knowing that we may forget them, but we won’ forget the time we had with them.

-B
Forgetting you but not the time

Don't Think Twice

Music of Choice:
Vendetta Red – Silhouette Serenade

I got laid this weekend. Thought you all might like to know that. Other than the casual sex in not-so-casual positions, not much else happened. I've been getting a little song writing done, got my creative juices flowing recently for some reason. Not much of an update today just wanted to say FUCK YOU to South Dakota for banning all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, unless the pregnant woman’s life is seriously at stake. And to Governor Mike Rounds I say this; I hope no females in your family ever have to go thru the hell and torment of being raped, because if so you just concealed their to fate bearing that child. How do you expect that child is going to grow up, a constant reminder of what the woman went thru, and be loved and card for? Fuck you buddy, and fuck your right-wing holier-than-though acolytes.

-B
The last thing I want to do right now is read your stupid poetry

Friday, March 03, 2006

Album Review

Artist – Matchbook Romance
Album – Voices

Be warned, there may be some swearing in this review. I know, I never EVER swear, but this is just too upsetting to let slide by without the occasional cursing and damning of the gods for subjugating us to this incoherent attempt at artistic merit. Now don’t get me wrong, the music is quite good, it’s the singing, production, lyrics, and everything else that is wrong here. The disc comes in a cool little package with some artwork that reminds me of American McGee’s Alice. It also comes with this black/clear line scheme paper thing, which I guess if you use it correctly with the lyric sheets in the booklet it gives you some secret code to some buried treasure, lost continent, or a message saying “Drink more Ovaltine”. I could be wrong on that last one.

The disk opens with “You Can Run, But We’ll Find You” which is kind of a filler track, and not the best way to introduce the album. It gets a little better on the second track with “Surrender”, which could be the only other single besides the should-have-been-title track-but-named-something-else-for-prosperity-or-whatever. It has a good beat and the vocal changes flow with the hard-hitting drums; however seems about a minute too long with a guitar/drum beat that repeats for the last 45 seconds.

The highpoint would be track 5, “Monsters”, which should have been the title track in my opinion as it mentions the word ‘voices’ quit frequently. It is a good rock tune with a catchy chorus and a creepy video to go with it. Its opening sounds like it belongs in the preview for some creepy carnival movie or the trailer for the Silent Hill movie. The clapping kind of adds to the beat but wears thin after the first 90 seconds.

The next track, “Say It Like You Mean It” is a typical Emo track that has a repeating chorus and a slow beat that gets old pretty quick. With lines like “The only times you really loved me were the times you weren’t sober” the track gets kind of cheesy and monotonous while he constantly yelps “over and over” a thousand times. I swear it sounds like a lighter version of Nirvana’s “You Know Your Right”, which is perhaps the worst song they ever recorded. Luckily it picks up a bit later with the track “Fiction”, which has a faster beat but is not necessarily a great song, just a nice change of pace form the theme of the disk.

The album ends with “I Wish You Were Here”, a slow guitar/vocal track that has a little bit of potential as long as you’re not driving at night trying to stay awake. There is a hidden track that begins 11 minutes and 35 second after “I Wish You Were Here” ends, an acoustic track that is not nearly as good as their previous album’s “Tigerlily”. All in all you be better off buying their first disk, “Stories & Alibi’s” and downloading “Monsters” off of iTunes.

3 out of 10.

-B

The 5th Beatle

Music of Choice:
The Used – Light With A Sharpened Edge

Have you ever experienced the anticipation of waiting for that new album from that band you really like, only to have that experience manifest into sheer disappointment when the album was actually released? I have had that feeling a few times in the past couple of months, and here are a few examples:

Matchbook Romance – Voices
Finch – Say Hello To Sunshine
Thrice –Vheissu

These are but a few of the albums I was really looking forward to until I actually bought them. Its not that I was expecting something amazing, I wasn’t. But I was expecting a worthy effort and instead was given a shift in musical direction that the band just did not need to take. I completely understand wanting to expand your music and experimentation with sounds and song writing styles. However, that does not excuse these horrible attempts at reinvention. Why do bands feel the need to constantly reinvent themselves with every album? It is not necessary. A slow progress is fine, but put in a little effort for Christ’s sake. I mean seriously, these albums are REALLY bad compared to their predecessors:

Matchbook Romance – Stories & Alibi’s
Finch – What It Is To Burn
Thrice – The Artist In The Ambulance

Hell, Finch’s first record is one of my all time favorites, and I have literally over a thousand CD’s in my collection. Anyways, I am done bitching about that, just had to get it all out before it seeped thru the cracks in my brain and entered the land of lost faxes and text messages. Moving on…

I have a new album review pending finalization; however I think I just mentioned my opinion of it, but I would still appreciate any feedback. I am trying to improve my review skills and would appreciate any feedback, whether positive or negative. It is something I have always enjoyed doing and would like to take it up a notch by sending them in to local free publications and things like that, but I need to figure out the kinks and get my writing style fluent and concise, so expect the new review up later tonight or tomorrow. Peace.

-B
“I’ll let you know when I go, when I’m gone

Thursday, March 02, 2006

And On The 8th Day, The Lord Fired Pat.

This is Awesome.
-B

Bitch Tranquilizers

Music of Choice:
At The Drive-In – Invalid Jitter Dept.

I want to have sex with Arianna Huffington.

I’m not talking just sex either. I want her liberal opinionated hot body to do things to me that would make porn stars blush. Oh how you do the things you do to me, you Huffington Hottie.

Moving on, we got our wireless working finally, which is nice. I can actually update now. So I was reading the paper (I do those kinds of things from time to time) and I noticed that there is a low rating of approval for G.W., too bad he still thinks he has “Capital”. Ok Bush, fairytale’s over. Welcome to real life. When the conservatives start to question you, and the Republicans start voting against you, then you do not have “Capital”. Let’s take a look at the word shall we:

Capital: in economics, the elements of production from which an income is derived, usually defined with the exception of land and labor.

Now listen carefully, here’s the important part; when you entered office you had a surplus, and now you have a deficit. Now, if “Capital” means that you have the means to bring in something of value (i.e. income, votes, dignity, etc.) then you sir, have NO “Capital”. I would have figured that the possession of a degree from Harvard and Yale would carry with it a prerequisite of obtaining basic business understanding, but then again, look who we are talking about.

Anyways, the infection that has occupied my body for the past month is finally leaving to infect someone else. This is kind of nice as I would like to breathe out of my nose again. Well, that’s about all for now, until tomorrow.

-B
“On my way nails broke and fell into the wishing well, wishing well, wishing well.”